Raisin Scones

It’s been a while since I’ve wandered into the kitchen to make something sweet. This weekend the urge was so strong that I carved out time in my afternoon to devote to my buddies: flour, sugar, and butter.

After seeking inspiration from a cookbook full of delicious but complex recipes, I decided on scones. They are simple, quick, and can usually be made in just 1 or 2 bowls with no more than a wooden spoon. Today was a day for a simple recipe with consistently delicious results.

For consistent, well-tested recipes I often turn to King Arthur Flour. The scone recipe that I baked today is loosely based on this blueberry scone recipe.

I adjusted the recipe slightly for my taste preferences and what I had in my pantry. To me, raisin scones are classic so I chose to substitute those in for the blueberries and lemon zest.

I opted for brown sugar and added white whole wheat flour to enhance the nuttiness of the scones. I would love to try including oats in this recipe because I adore the subtle nutty flavor they deliver so I’ll report back once I’ve tried that out, of course.

I chose plain yogurt instead of vanilla because I find vanilla yogurt quite sweet and didn’t think this recipe needed any additional sugar. For the same reason, I excluded the sugar for sprinkling on top but go ahead and use that if you like a crunchy sugar coating.

Raisin Scones

• 1 cup (120g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (113g) white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon (12g) baking powder
• 6 tablespoons (85g) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup (149g) raisins
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup (57g) plain whole milk yogurt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk, for brushing the tops

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease thoroughly.

Whisk together the flours, salt, brown sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl.

Cut butter into flour using either a pastry cutter or your fingers. Work quickly to keep the butter as cold as possible. The goal is to achieve pea-sized bits of butter throughout the flour but no need to fret if there is some variety in size; this is rustic and homemade and will turn out fine regardless.

Toss the raisins into the dry mixture and break up any clumps of fruit so they become evenly dispersed throughout the dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla until homogeneous.

Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the flour is just moistened. The dough is meant to be wet and sticky.

Scoop out scones onto the baking sheet a couple inches apart.*

Brush with milk and bake for 20 minutes(or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Rotate the pan after 10 minutes to ensure even baking.

*Note: I used a heaping 1/4 cup for mine and it made 10 scones but feel free to make them whatever size you want. They puff up and expand just slightly in the oven so the size you make them now is pretty close to the size they will end up.